I then need a span after each a, with a class when I can specify somewhere, if possible? I know how to get the span in there, but I can't figure out from my searches if you can indeed set specific individual classes as I need to do things like:

Your c1 through cn classes are tracked/counted by the global $ik_walker_counter variable, which is reset every time we start a new level. The individual class goes as new parameter in your walker arguments ( e.g., 'my_individual_class' => 'paw-icon'.

Could I specify a series of class for 'my_individual_class'? I noticed when I tested this that I'm not seeing the classes being added to the anchors
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Mat-visualJan 10 '14 at 23:13

Sorry for that. There was a typo in attribuTes. Yes, you can also specify a space-separated sequence of classes for my_individual_class.
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t fJan 10 '14 at 23:15

Ah brilliant ,thank you. What would be the best option if i needed a different my_individual_class for each span. Just use jQuery or is there an efficient way to specify this in some sort of array?
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Mat-visualJan 10 '14 at 23:18

Why don't you use the CSS class for each menu element in the WordPress admin? If you don't see it, just activate it in the Screen Options (upper right area). Then you can use $item->classes.
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t fJan 10 '14 at 23:24